Personal ballistic body armor, particularly vests, helmets, and other articles, are formed generally of materials which serve to prevent penetration of a bullet or other projectile, and any other object that is forcefully applied to the armor, such as a knife. These articles are primarily used for the armed forces, but also have police and civilian applications. There is a growing demand to improve the wearability and the overall effectiveness of armor systems used by soldiers and police offices in combative environments. Overall thickness and weight of armor systems can effect wearability, but reducing these parameters in currently known systems can compromise the armor's effectiveness against penetration.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,528 discloses a non-woven layer having short polyolefin fibers. The fibers are reported to have a length of 40-100 mm, a tensile strength of at least 1.2 GPa and a modulus of at least 40 GPa.
PCT Patent Application No. WO94/21450 discloses a ballistic resistant material containing at least two types of fibrous materials. Polyaramid and polyethylene blends are described. The materials are blended and consolidated together into a single layer of nonwoven, composite material.
PCT Patent Application No. WO2005/001373 teaches a ballistic-resistant material having a exterior layers formed of a ballistic-resistant non-woven textile and an interior layer of ballistic-resistant woven textile arranged between the exterior layers.
There is a need in the art for continued improvements in the construction of ballistic fabrics and articles.